Your Differentiation Is Constantly Changing…

A few years back, my friend, Don, gave me the brand “The Revenue Architect” because he said that I have one skill: knowing how to generate revenue.

Maybe that is still true, but over time that competitive advantage that I gained from the brand began to wane…there started to become other architects in the world of marketing and branding and strategy and it became a bit of a buzzword…even if I were the original.

Earlier in the year, I coined the term “The Differentiation Gap” to talk about the way that your view of your value in the market can often differ from the view that your clients have of you. And, if the gap is wide, you are a commodity.

That’s led to some interesting blog posts, newsletters, and podcasts on the topic, but it is something I think we should all start thinking about now as we move into the fourth quarter.

Why?

Because differentiation is an ongoing challenge for all of us.

Dorie Clark wrote about Rita Gunther McGrath and the idea that competitive advantage over the long-term is a thing of the past.

And, Ms. McGrath talks about that in terms of big companies.

How they can speed up the metabolism of their business.

How they can accelerate the cannibalization of old business models and products.

On and on this goes.

But it isn’t something that is always pointed out to everyone, especially when you are in a small or mid-size business.

Because for you, the rate of change is even faster.

To the point that you can almost change your business model daily…if you aren’t careful.

That’s something I think we need to consider…how can I change my business today.